How Authors Make Friends with Bookstores & Libraries — A Creative Engagement Talk with Faye D'Avanza of Library of Care on Thursday, May 2 at 6 PM

Gain insights into what makes the author–bookstore & author–library relationships thrive.

Bookstores and libraries are a writer’s best friend. But when a writer grows to become a published author, the relationship balance can change from fun-loving customer to awkward sales rep. And this makes sense because writers are taught to write books, not how to sell books. Fortunately, for readers, many authors are eager to learn how to meaningfully connect with bookstores and libraries to promote their book, expand their author brand, and contribute to the growth of more engaged communities.

In this talk you will

• gain clarity about the process of working with event staff at bookstores and libraries, including knowing what questions to ask them.

• learn the principles of community engagement and how it can help you tailor your focus when pitching bookstores and libraries about your work.

• understand the importance of an event pitch and why you need a media kit.

• gather insights and advice from a seasoned librarian and bookstore event marketer to help you become a more conscious and collaborative creative-community partner.

This is a free creative engagement talk for writers, published authors, supportive friends, and anyone interested in growing and nurturing their relationships in the book world.

Faye D’Avanza is a writer-editor, professional librarian, creativity gardener, and founder of Library of Care where she connects creative people, places, and ideas to grow more engaged communities. She is also the Marketing and Communications Event Coordinator at Ink Fish Books, and the former Community Engagement Librarian at Barrington Public Library. She passionately serves authors, artists, makers, healers, and other care-centered solopreneurs or small businesses alongside libraries, bookstores, cultural nonprofits, professional associations, and the publishing community. A former Rhode Islander, she now lives among the tourists, trees, and mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where she publishes the indie newsletter Keeping Creative Time on Substack.

From the Shelf Book Group Discusses Homecoming by Kate Morton

“Morton's best yet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Morton keeps the secrets coming, leading up to a powerful, emotional conclusion. This is storytelling at its finest.” —Booklist (starred review)

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia.

Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for two decades, she now finds herself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in the hospital.

At Nora's house, Jess discovers a true crime book chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. It is only when Jess skims through its pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this notorious event—a mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved.

An epic story that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, how we protect the lies we tell, and what it means to come home. Above all, it is an intricate and spellbinding novel from one of the finest writers working today.

Join us on the last Sunday of each month at 11 AM to discuss the monthly pick.

Email us at info@inkfishbook.com for more information and to register.

Copies are available in store or online here.

Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 27 from 11 am to 5 pm

Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at over 900 indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. 

It’s a book party you won’t want to miss!

You’re Invited!

Ink Fish Books, a woman-owned independent bookstore with a passion for books, food, and culture, opened in 2018 and is honored to be hosting its sixth Independent Bookstore Day.

Stop by from 11 AM to 5 PM to join in the fun with exclusive indie bookstore items, free books, raffles, including a signed copy giveaway of Jamie Brenner’s A Novel Summer, and the opportunity to search for the Golden Ticket with the winner receiving a free year of audiobook credits (12 credits) from Libro.fm.

Book Signing 1-3 PM

We’ll host a book signing from 1 to 3 PM with local author Christa Carmen of The Daughters of Block Island, an ingenious and subversive twist on the classic gothic novel, the mysterious past of an island mansion lures two sisters into a spiderweb of scandal, secrets, and murder.

“This compelling and atmospheric thriller pays homage to classic gothic novels while still adding something fresh to the beloved genre. An easy sell to fans of the Brontës but also those who enjoy the creepy, psychological suspense of Simone St. James.” —Booklist

Carmen lives in Rhode Island and is the two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Daughters of Block Island, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, and the forthcoming Beneath the Poet’s House (available December 2024 from Thomas & Mercer).

Another guest to the party, who joins us for a book signing, is local author Jessa Maxwell of The Golden Spoon. A sharp and suspenseful thriller for mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon is “as addictive as bingeing your favorite culinary competition and as satisfying as a piece of your favorite cake” (Kellye Garrett, author of Like a Sister).

“This delicious combination of Clue and The Great British Bake Off kept me turning the pages all night!” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Maxwell is also the author of the forthcoming I Need You to Read This (available August 13, 2024 from Atria Books), and the author and illustrator of five picture books for children. Her comics and cartoons have been published in The New Yorker and The New York Times and her writing has been published in Slate, Marie Claire, and many others. Maxwell lives in Jamestown with her husband, two cats, and three-legged dog. 

Food Pop-Up 12-5 PM

Also joining us is Empanada Assassin for a food pop-up.

Come celebrate the joy of reading and the value of independent bookstores across the country.

Follow Independent Bookstore Day:

• Facebook at facebook.com/inkfishbooks AND at instagram.com/inkfishbooks

• Facebook at facebook.com/bookstoreday

• Twitter @bookstoreday

• Instagram @indiebookstoreday AND @inkfishbooks

• #bookstoreday

At the Event

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or order online below.

THE DAUGHTERS OF BLOCK ISLAND

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLOOD-SOAKED

THE GOLDEN SPOON

I NEED YOU TO READ THIS — preorder!

ANNUAL American Association of University Women (AAUW) AUTHORS LUNCHEON on SATURDAY, APRIL 20 from 11:30 AM to 2 PM

Featuring local women authors, and benefiting the Rhode Island Center for the Book.

Ruth Maille is a certified parent-relationship coach who has owned and operated a day care/preschool for 33 years. Her award-winning children’s books in her POWER OF SERIES address social-emotional topics.

Deborah Goodrich Royce is a former actress on All My Children and story editor. As an author, her newest psychological thriller is Reef Road. She and her husband helped restore The Ocean House in Westerly.

Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist known for her pioneering writings on social trends, particularly technology’s impact on humanity. Her most recent book is Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure. It was nominated for a National Book Award and was selected as a Must Read of the Next Big Idea Club.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event

Tickets available. Please make checks out to AAUW for $40.00 by April 12, and indicate if you want to reserve seating for yourself, several people, or a group. Mail to Rosemary Slocum, 127 Center Ave., Middletown, RI 02842. For more information call 401-849-6073.

2024 Bristol Bookfest featuring Moby Dick by Herman Melville on Saturday, April 6 from 9 to 5 pm

Ink Fish Books is proud to be a partner bookstore for this upcoming event with Bristol BookFest.

The 2024 Bristol BookFest is a free keynote talk and reception on Friday, April 5, at Colt School Auditorium (570 Hope St), and a paid day program of speakers and informal discussions on Saturday, April 6, from 9 AM to 5 PM inside the ballroom of Linden Place (500 Hope St).

Saturday’s speaker’s include:

• Declan Kielydr, director of exhibitions at the New York Public Library

• Richard H. Brodhead, professor emeritus of English at Yale University

• Mary K. Bercaw Edwards, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Maritime Studies Program at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Campus and a long-time adviser at Mystic Seaport

• Cyrus R. K. Patell, professor of English at New York University and Global Network professor at New York University Abu Dhabi and a winner of NYU’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

• Robert Rocha, associate curator of Science and Research at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

The 2024 Bristol BookFest is a public humanities program, and is supported by the Friends of Rogers Free Library, Arts in Common, Linden Place, Rogers Free Library, Rogers Williams University, Bristol Art Museum, CC:S, Bank Newport, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, and various private donors.

For additional details, visit BristolBookFest.com or Facebook.com/BristolBookFest or email: hello@BristolBookFest.com.

Books will be for sale and signing at the event. 

To purchase copies in advance, please email info@inkfishbooks.com.

2024 Bristol Bookfest BookFest Opening Reception on Friday, April 5 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM

Ink Fish Books is proud to be a partner bookstore for this upcoming event with Bristol BookFest.

The 2024 Bristol BookFest is a free keynote talk and reception on Friday, April 5, at Colt School Auditorium (570 Hope St), and a paid day program of speakers and informal discussions on Saturday, April 6, from 9 AM to 5 PM inside the ballroom of Linden Place (500 Hope St).

Saturday’s speaker’s include:

• Declan Kielydr, director of exhibitions at the New York Public Library

• Richard H. Brodhead, professor emeritus of English at Yale University

• Mary K. Bercaw Edwards, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Maritime Studies Program at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Campus and a long-time adviser at Mystic Seaport

• Cyrus R. K. Patell, professor of English at New York University and Global Network professor at New York University Abu Dhabi and a winner of NYU’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

• Robert Rocha, associate curator of Science and Research at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

The 2024 Bristol BookFest is a public humanities program, and is supported by the Friends of Rogers Free Library, Arts in Common, Linden Place, Rogers Free Library, Rogers Williams University, Bristol Art Museum, CC:S, Bank Newport, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, and various private donors.

For additional details, visit BristolBookFest.com or Facebook.com/BristolBookFest or email: hello@BristolBookFest.com.

Books will be for sale and signing at the event. 

To purchase copies in advance, please email info@inkfishbooks.com.

YOUNG RICH WIDOWS Book Launch Party with Vanessa Lillie, Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, and Cate Holahan on Wednesday, April 3 at 6:30 PM

The ‘80s are coming with the launch of Young Rich Widows, a "frothy fun" thriller set in 1980s Providence.

Grab your sequins and shoulder pads for a wild night at Ink Fish Books with all four coauthors plus themed drinks, best ‘80s dressed contest (with prizes!), and a playlist full of your crimped hair favs.

About the Book

The First Wives Club with ‘80s vibes and murders galore, Young Rich Widows is an over the-the-top, riotous thriller following four widows, each written by a different author, who find themselves at the center of a dangerous game when their four partners are killed in a plane crash and the women discover there was millions of dollars on-board—all missing, and all owed to a notorious mob boss (who just happens to have a pack of wolves hidden away in his monstrous mansion).

Cleverly written, expertly plotted, with pacing quicker than four widows on the run from the mob, Young Rich Widows is a cult-classic in the making—a wildly entertaining romp, perfect for fans of Stone Cold Fox and Jeneva Rose.

Initially released as an Audible original, Young Rich Widows will be published in trade paperback on April 2, 2024.

Praise

“Hands down the most original thriller you'll read all year. Laugh out loud funny, twisty and full of surprises.”

—Wendy Walker, international bestselling author of What Remains

“An ‘80s romp with big hair and even bigger secrets! Grab your popcorn and settle in for this incredibly fun and twisty read.”

—Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of You Shouldn't Have Come Here

About the Authors

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of nine novels, including The Personal Assistant, The Marriage Lie, a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller, and the coauthor of the bestselling Audible Original Young Rich Widows. Kimberly’s novels have been selected as Amazon Best Books of the Month and have been LibraryReads selections. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide and been optioned for film and television. Belle divides her time

between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Layne Fargo writes dark, dramatic stories that support women’s wrongs. She’s the author of the novels The Favorites, They Never Learn, and Temper, and coauthor of the bestselling Audible Original Young Rich Widows series. She lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets.

Cate Holahan is a screenwriter and USA Today bestselling suspense novelist, including, most recently The Darkness of Others, her sixth solo stand alone book and seventh published work. Her original film, Deadly Estate, premiered in March 2023 on Fox’s Tubi. Her second original film for Fox’s Marvista/Tubi recently finished filming. A bi-racial female writer of Jamaican and Irish descent, she is a member of The Author’s Guild, Sisters-in-Crime, and Crime Writers of Color. She graduated from Princeton University and has an MFA in Dramatic Writing/Screenwriting from NYU's Tisch.

Vanessa Lillie is the author of the bestselling thrillers Little Voices, For the Best, and Blood Sisters. With fifteen years of marketing and communications experience, Vanessa was a columnist for the Providence Journal and hosts an Instagram Live show with crime fiction authors. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma living on Narragansett land in Rhode Island.

At the Event

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or preorder online below.

YOUNG RICH WIDOWS

Come Visit Us at RI GFree Fest on March 23 from Noon to 6 pm

A curated selection of Gluten-Free cookbooks and lifestyle inspirations will be for sale at our vendor booth.

Come and say, “hi!” We’d love to hear what gluten-free foods you are cooking and eating right now.

Tickets for the first gluten-free festival in Rhode Island are sold out, but if you have tickets we look forward to seeing you at WaterFire Arts Center in Providence on March 23.

From the Shelf Book Group Discusses Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

Unputdownable · Psychological Suspense · Horror · Tense · Gripping

“A nerve-shredding page-turner but also an ingenious guessing game and an absorbing account of a woman’s struggle to make her voice heard.” —Minnesota Star Tribune

A mother is forced to the breaking point when her life and the lives of her children are threatened by an intruder.

Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. She hears a noise—old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this sound is disturbingly familiar: it’s the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs.

She sees the figure of a man appear down the hallway, shrouded in the shadows. Terrified, she quietly wakes her children and hustles them into the oldest part of the house, a tiny, secret room concealed behind a wall. There they hide as the man searches for them, trying to tempt the children out with promises and scare the mother into surrender.

In the suffocating darkness, the mother struggles to remain calm, to plan. Should she search for a weapon or attempt escape? But then she catches another glimpse of him. That face. That voice. And at once she knows her situation is even more dire than she’d feared, because she knows exactly who he is—and what he wants.

Join us on the last Sunday of each month at 11 AM to discuss the monthly pick.

Email us at info@inkfishbook.com for more information and to register.

Copies are available in store or online here.

Elizabeth Gonzalez James — THE BULLET SWALLOWER — in Conversation with Grace Talusan on Feb 28 at 6:30 PM

Elizabeth Gonzalez James will discuss her literary magical realist Western, The Bullet Swallower—think Gabriel García Márquez, Larry McMurtry, and Carmen Maria Machado—with author Grace Talusan (The Body Papers).

About

Based on (mostly) true events, The Bullet Swallower is a magical realism western about violence and revenge, a story that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors, and whether it is possible to be better than our forebears.

In 1895 Antonio Sonoro is a fearsome bandido who sets off from his home in northern Mexico to rob a train in Texas with his younger brother. But when the robbery goes awry and the two brothers land in the crosshairs of the Texas Rangers, Antonio is launched into a quest for revenge that endangers both his family, and his soul.

In 1964 Jaime Sonoro, Antonio’s grandson, is Mexico’s favorite singing cowboy. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family beginning with Cain and Abel. Reading the book Jaime not only discovers the multitude of horrific crimes committed by his ancestors, but he realizes that these crimes have opened up a cosmic debt, and that he may be the next in line to repay it.

A family saga that’s epic in scope but compact in form, The Bullet Swallower tackles border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the legacies of racism and colonialism in a lush setting and stunning prose that evokes Cormac McCarthy and Gabriel García Márquez.

Praise

“This is a Western full of classic tropes, but it also surprises with its philosophical examination of generational trauma, justice and retribution, and racism and politics. The supernatural element ties together the timelines and the themes, adding resonance. With a powerfully drawn setting and viscerally convincing characters, James’s novel is a strong addition to any general fiction collection.”

—Library Journal, *starred review

“Her blending of fact and fantasy, magic and morality, and the weight of family history is a success, making The Bullet Swallower both a page-turner with impeccable pacing and a complicated narrative full of unexpected elements and deeper questions…more than just a fabulous western.”

—Sarah Beth West, Shelf Awareness

“Elizabeth Gonzalez James has taken the raw history of the Texas-Mexico borderlands, simmered it with her own epic family story and a dash of the uncanny, and produced a phantasmagoric guisado of a novel in which past and present, real and unreal, are blended together in perfect balance.”

—Stephen Harrigan, author of The Gates of the Alamo

The Author(s)

Elizabeth Gonzalez James is the author of the novels Mona at Sea (SFWP, 2021) and The Bullet Swallower (forthcoming Simon & Schuster, 2024), as well as the chapbook, Five Conversations About Peter Sellers (Texas Review Press, 2023). Her stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, Southern Humanities Review, The Rumpus, StorySouth, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. She was Interviews Editor at The Rumpus, and a former contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Originally from South Texas, Elizabeth now lives with her family in Massachusetts.

Grace Talusan is the author of The Body Papers, which won the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant writing and the Massachusetts Book Award for Nonfiction. In 2022, she was awarded fellowships from United States Artists, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Brother Thomas Fund. She teaches in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Brown University.

At the Event

Books by both authors will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase online below.

MONA AT SEA

FIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PETER SELLERS

THE BULLET SWALLOWER (preorder)

THE BODY PAPERS — Winner of The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, Grace Talusan’s critically acclaimed memoir The Body Papers, a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection, powerfully explores the fraught contours of her own life as a Filipino immigrant and survivor of cancer and childhood abuse.

Author photo of Elizabeth Gonzalez James by Nancy Rothstein.

Boston.com Book Club Discussion — THE BULLET SWALLOWER — with Elizabeth Gonzalez James on Feb 26 at 6 PM (Virtual)

This will be a virtual event. More info coming soon!

Linda Crotta Brennan — The Selkie’s Daughter — Author Talk & Book Signing for young readers on Feb 24 at 11:30 AM

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A cozy, richly imagined fantasy novel where a young selkie girl must save her family from a vengeful king.

ABOUT

Brigit knows all the old fisherman songs and legends by heart: sea goddess, warriors, and people who are not quite human. But Brigit also knows the truth. It’s evident in the webbing between her fingers–webbing that must be cut. She’s the daughter of a selkie. A truth she must keep secret from everyone.

But there is another secret growing in the village. A terrible one that will invite the wrath of the Great Selkie, bringing storm, sickness, and death. To protect those she loves, Brigit must find a way to Sule Skerrie, the land of selkies, to confront the Great Selkie and bring the truth—all of it—into the light.

Like sitting by a warm fireplace, The Selkie’s Daughter is an imaginative fantasy, steeped in Celtic mythology and set in Nova Scotia. Debut Linda Crotta Brennan has crafted a magical portrait of a brave girl coming into her own. Perfect for fans of mermaids and Studio Ghibli-esque stories.

PRAISE

“Expertly told in ­poetic fashion, this book will hook its readers from sentence one. Highly recommended for all who love fantasy, tragedy, history, and folklore.”

—School Library Journal, *starred review

“For those who enjoy emotionally driven history with a dash of magic . . . The Selkie's Daughter will be worth the read."

—Shelf Awareness

“Readers just ready to dip their toes into selkie lore and Celtic legends à la Jane Yolen will find an easy introduction here.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

THE AUTHOR

Linda Crotta Brennan is the author of many picture books, including When Rivers Burned, named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book by the CBC and NCSS and an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA and CBC. She holds a master's degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked as an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature. Linda is an active member of SCBWI. The Selkie’s Daughter is her debut novel. She lives in New England.

AT THE EVENT

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase online below.

THE SELKIE’S DAUGHTER

Come Visit Us at RI Vegfest on feb 4 from Noon to 5 pm

A curated selection of plant-based cookbooks and lifestyle inspirations will be for sale at our vendor booth.

Come and say, “hi!” We’d love to hear what vegan foods you are cooking and eating right now.

PURCHASE TICKETS for this event with RI VegFest, and join us at WaterFire Arts Center in Providence on Saturday or Sunday.

Come Visit Us at RI Vegfest on feb 3 from Noon to 5 pm

A curated selection of plant-based cookbooks and lifestyle inspirations will be for sale at our vendor booth.

Come and say, “hi!” We’d love to hear what vegan foods you are cooking and eating right now.

PURCHASE TICKETS for this event with RI VegFest, and join us at WaterFire Arts Center in Providence on Saturday or Sunday.

MAGGIE JACKSON — UNCERTAIN — Book Signing on Dec 16 from 1 to 3 PM

Rhode Island author, MAGGIE JACKSON, will sign copies of her paradigm-shifting book, uncertaIN: THE WISDOM AND WONDER OF BEING UNSURE.

Nominated for a National Book Award

A Must Read of the Next Big Idea Club

Featuring cutting-edge research and in-depth reporting, this paradigm-shifting book shows us how to skillfully confront the unexpected and unknown, and how to seek not-knowing in the service of curiosity, wisdom, and discovery.

A revolutionary guide to flourishing in times of flux and angst by harnessing the overlooked power of our uncertainty.

In an era of terrifying unpredictability, we race to address complex crises with quick, sure algorithms, bullet points, and tweets. How could we find the clarity and vision so urgently needed today by being unsure? Uncertain is about the triumph of doing just that. A scientific adventure tale set on the front lines of a volatile era, this epiphany of a book by award-winning author Maggie Jackson shows us how to skillfully confront the unexpected and the unknown, and how to harness not-knowing in the service of wisdom, invention, mutual understanding, and resilience.

Long neglected as a topic of study and widely treated as a shameful flaw, uncertainty is revealed to be a crucial gadfly of the mind, jolting us from the routine and the assumed into a space for exploring unseen meaning. Far from luring us into inertia, uncertainty is the mindset most needed in times of flux and a remarkable antidote to the narrow-mindedness of our day.

In laboratories, political campaigns, and on the frontiers of artificial intelligence, Jackson meets the pioneers decoding the surprising gifts of being unsure. Each chapter examines a mode of uncertainty-in-action, from creative reverie to the dissent that spurs team success. Step by step, the art and science of uncertainty reveal being unsure as a skill set for incisive thinking and day-to-day flourishing.

It’s all too easy to seek the comforting simplicity of the certain. With cutting-edge science and insights both surprising and practical, Uncertain shows how cultivating an open and unsettled mindset can help us to spark curiosity, compassion, and creativity. —Gretchen Rubin, New York Times-bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Life in Five Senses

Maggie Jackson’s incisive and timely book is a provocative exploration of the surprising benefits of not knowing. Richly researched and briskly written, it dismantles the stigma around uncertainty — and shows how this state of mind can jolt us from intellectual complacency and foster creativity, resilience, and mutual understanding. Uncertain is a triumphant ode to the wisdom of being unsure. —Daniel H. Pink, New York Times-bestselling author of The Power of Regret, Drive, and When

Powerful. —Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

Maggie Jackson is an award-winning author and journalist known for her pioneering writings on social trends, particularly technology’s impact on humanity. Winner of the 2020 Dorothy Lee Book Award for excellence in technology criticism, Distracted was compared by FastCompany.com to Silent Spring for its prescient critique of technology’s excesses, named a Best Summer Book by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and was a prime inspiration for Google’s 2018 global initiative to promote digital well-being. Maggie Jackson’s expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Business Week, Vanity Fair, Wired.com, O Magazine, and The Times of London; on MSNBC, NPR’s All Things Considered, Oprah Radio, The Takeaway, and on the Diane Rehm Show and the Brian Lehrer Show; and in multiple TV segments and film documentaries worldwide. Her speaking career includes appearances at Google, Harvard Business School, and the Chautauqua Institute. Jackson lives with her family in New York and Rhode Island.

Books by Maggie Jackson will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase online below.

UNCERTAIN: THE WISDOM AND WONDER OF BEING UNSURE

DISTRACTED: RECLAIMING OUR FOCUS IN A WORLD OF LOST ATTENTION

Julie Gerstenblatt — DAUGHTERS OF NANTUCKET — Book Signing on Dec 9 from 1 to 3 PM

Local author, Julie Gerstenblatt, will sign copies of her sweeping historical fiction debut, DAUGHTERS OF NANTUCKET.

Centered around Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, the story follows Eliza, Meg and Maria: three very different women whose lives intersect as they fight to survive the blaze and overcome their own personal struggles.

Whaling captain wife Eliza Macy is waiting for her husband to return from a long voyage — while simultaneously hiding her financial trouble — when, in desperation, she turns against her progressive ideals and targets Meg Wright, a pregnant, free Black woman trying to relocate her store to the town’s Main Street. Meanwhile, Maria Mitchell spends every night observing the stars as she runs Nantucket’s Atheneum, but is hiding her own secrets of the heart.  

At the time, women experienced an unusual independence for the 1800s as the island’s men went out to sea, sometimes for years. Daughters of Nantucket explores how these characters both struggle with and enjoy the rare freedom they have — and how the town’s thriving Black community lives an almost-equal, yet separate existence from their Quaker neighbors. 

Gerstenblatt's distinctive tale, a triumph in storytelling, celebrates the courage and tenacity of women.  —Booklist, Starred Review

Daughters Of Nantucket is thoroughly enjoyable historical fiction, beautifully researched and very authentic. You will be swept up from page one! —Jane Green, author of SISTER STARDUST and THE BEACH HOUSE

Gerstenblatt artfully weaves in modern issues and challenges in this gorgeously written novel, leaving us wiser and more optimistic for our own times. —Nancy Thayer, Best-selling author of SUMMER LOVE

Meticulously researched, Gerstenblatt presents a fascinating look at an island ahead of its time, where women exercised privileges often reserved for men and where blacks shared in the civil liberties of their white neighbors. At its heart, this is a story of love, loss and redemption.  —Renee Rosen USA Today best-selling author THE SOCIAL GRACES

Julie Gerstenblatt holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Cognoscenti, among others. When not writing, Julie is a college essay coach, as well as a producer and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze. A native New Yorker, Julie now lives in coastal Rhode Island with her family and one very smart shichon poo. Daughters of Nantucket is her first novel.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase online below.

DAUGHTERS OF NANTUCKET

Anika Aldamuy Denise — GATO GAUPO — with Christopher Denise — KNIGHT OWL — Children’s Book Signing on Saturday, November 25 from 1 to 3 PM

Award-winning children’s book authors — Anika Aldamuy Denise and Christopher Denise — will meet readers and sign copies of their picture books, Gato Guapo and Knight Owl, from 1 to 3 PM on November 25 during Small Business Saturday.

About GATO GUAPO

Laugh and count along with this lively cumulative romp told in a lyrical blend of Spanish and English by Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Anika Aldamuy Denise, and illustrator Zara González Hoang.

Nine kittens follow Gato Guapo around, but when it’s time to count them, one by one, they go missing, along with a piece of Gato Guapo’s clothes!

Young readers will love all the silliness that ensues as each naughty gatito dons a disguise and declares “Yo soy Gato Guapo!”

Anika Aldamuy Denise writes books that plant seeds of inspiration in readers of all ages, many of which celebrate her Puerto Rican heritage. Her debut picture book biography, Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, received a 2020 Pura Belpré Award Author Honor, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Children’s Nonfiction, and the Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for Early Readers. Planting Stories was also named a Best Children’s Book of 2019 by Smithsonian Magazine, Today.com, School Library Journal, New York Public Library, Los Angeles Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature. Her newest book, Gato Guapo, illustrated by Zara González Hoang, features one dapper cat, nine naughty gatitos, and tons of bilingual read-aloud fun. Anika is married to (the equally dapper and) award-winning author-illustrator, Christopher Denise. They live just over the bridge in Barrington, RI. 

About KNIGHT OWL

A Caldecott Honor Winner and New York Times bestseller.

A determined Owl builds strength and confidence in this medieval picture book about the real mettle of a hero: wits, humor, and heart. 

Since the day he hatched, Owl dreamed of becoming a real knight. He may not be the biggest or the strongest, but his sharp nocturnal instincts can help protect the castle, especially since many knights have recently gone missing. While holding guard during Knight Night Watch, Owl is faced with the ultimate trial—a frightening intruder. It’s a daunting duel by any measure. But what Owl lacks in size, he makes up for in good ideas.

Full of wordplay and optimism, this surprising display of bravery proves that cleverness (and friendship) can rule over brawn.

Christopher Denise spent much of his childhood in Shannon, Ireland, exploring castles and dreaming of great adventures. He is the illustrator of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including Anika Aldamuy Denise’s Bunny in the Middle, Alison McGhee’s Firefly Hollow, Rosemary Wells’s Following Grandfather, and Anne Marie Pace’s Groundhug Day, as well as several in Brian Jacques’s award-winning Redwall series. In 2023, his author-illustrator debut, Knight Owl, was awarded a Caldecott Honor by the American Library Association. Knight Owl has been translated into 25 languages and has appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list and across multiple best book lists. Christopher’s current adventures include exploring coastal Rhode Island, where he lives with his family.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase online below.

GATO GUAPO by Anika Aldamuy Denise

KNIGHT OWL by Christopher Denise

Elizabeth Rush — THE QUICKENING — Author Talk & Signing on Nov 14 at 6:30 PM

Ink Fish Books is proud to be a partner bookstore for this free community event with Barrington Land Conservation Trust

The event features Elizabeth Rush, author of the new book The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth.

A Pulitzer Prize-finalist, author Elizabeth Rush tackles three daunting topics in her new book: Antarctica, climate change, and motherhood.

In 2019, fifty-seven scientists and crew set out onboard the research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer. Their destination: Thwaites Glacier. Their goal: to learn as much as possible about this mysterious place, never before visited by humans, and believed to be both rapidly deteriorating and capable of making a catastrophic impact on global sea-level rise. 

In The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush documents their voyage, offering the sublime—seeing an iceberg for the first time; the staggering waves of the Drake Passage; the torqued, unfamiliar contours of Thwaites—alongside the workaday moments of this groundbreaking expedition. A ping-pong tournament at sea. Long hours in the lab. All the effort that goes into caring for and protecting human life in a place that is inhospitable to it. Along the way, she takes readers on a personal journey around a more intimate question: What does it mean to bring a child into the world at this time of radical change?

What emerges is a new kind of Antarctica story, one preoccupied not with flag planting but with the collective and challenging work of imagining a better future. With understanding the language of a continent where humans have only been present for two centuries. With the contributions and concerns of women, who were largely excluded from voyages until the last few decades, and of crew members of color, whose labor has often gone unrecognized. The Quickening teems with their voices—with the colorful stories and personalities of Rush’s shipmates—in a thrilling chorus.

“An immersive journey through both exterior and interior landscapes, deftly crossing the boundaries between the frigid Antarctic and the warm heart.” 

—Robin Wall Kimmerer

Elizabeth Rush is the author of The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth and Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Rush’s work has appeared in a wide range of publications from the New York Times to Orion and Guernica.

She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Howard Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the Metcalf Institute. She lives with her husband and son in Providence, Rhode Island, where she teaches creative nonfiction at Brown University.

REGISTER for this event with Barrington Land Conservation Trust, and join us at Barrington Public Library, 281 County Road in Barrington.

Books will be available to purchase from Ink Fish Books at the event beginning at 6 PM, or in store, or online here.

Vanessa Lillie –  BLOOD SISTERS – Book Launch celebration on Oct 30 from 6 to 8 PM

Join us for an open house to celebrate the book launch of Blood Sisters, by bestselling thriller and local Rhode Island author Vanessa Lillie.

The evening includes custom cocktails by Bootblack Brand and intentionally themed light fare by Mosaic Table.

A visceral and compelling mystery about a Cherokee archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is called back to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women. . .one of them is her sister. . .

There are secrets in the land.

As an archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Syd Walker spends her days in Rhode Island trying to protect the land’s Indigenous past, even as she’s escaping her own.

While Syd is dedicated to her job, she’s haunted by a night of violence she barely escaped in her Oklahoma hometown fifteen years ago. Even though she swore she’d never go back, the past comes calling.

What happens to the land happens to the women.

When a skull is found near the crime scene of her youth, just as her sister, Emma Lou, disappears, Syd knows she must return to Oklahoma. She refuses to let her sister, or the remains, go ignored as so often happens in cases of missing Native women.

But not everyone is glad to have Syd home. The search for Emma Lou puts Syd in the crosshairs of local drug dealers looking to build an empire and vengeful vigilantes policing the abandoned mines, while government officials silence tribal rights.

The truth will be unearthed.

The deeper Syd digs, the more she uncovers about a string of missing Indigenous women cases trailing back decades. To save her sister, she must expose a darkness in town that no one wants to face—not even Syd.

Blood Sisters sets its hooks on page one and then pulls relentlessly and colorfully through buried secrets and rediscovered Native heritage. — C. J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Storm Front

Blood Sisters is a tale with all the twisting fury of a tornado. Set on the complex checkerboard of Indian land in northeastern Oklahoma, it delves deeply and dramatically into the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. But it also mines the rich territory of family, kinship, love, loyalty, guilt, and regret. Vanessa Lillie is a remarkable and courageous storyteller and an important Native voice. I recommend this book with all my heart and the hope that it will make a difference. —William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land

Bingeworthy. A propulsive story of familial fault lines with as much to say about the dark side of people as the potential for redemption. —Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of the You series

Vanessa Lillie is the bestselling author of the thrillers Little Voices, For the Best and coauthor of the Young Rich Widows series. Her forthcoming novel, Blood Sisters, launches a new suspense series and releases October 31, 2023.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or preorder BLOOD SISTERS now.

Pop-Up Mocktail Bar with Kristi’s Kraftails on Oct 29 FROM 1 TO 3 PM AND local authors Kathryn Kulpa and David buckner to sign books

Join us to cheer books and bookstores with mocktails by Kristi’s Kraftails during the final Sunday of the Warren Walkabout.

Also joining us is local author Kathryn Kulpa, who will sign copies of her new book of fiction, fantasy, and flash stories titled Cooking Tips for the Demon-Haunted.

And local author David Buckner, who will sign copies of his children’s book The Sound in the House.

About kristi’s kraftails

Locally-sourced, seasonally-inspired kraft mocktails that are refreshing and balanced. Perfect for every occasion from beach outings and weekend getaways to concerts and sporting events. Learn more at kristiskraftails.com.

Or read about Kristi’s Kraftails in a recent feature by Rhode Island Monthly, ”Kristi’s Kraftails is Transforming the Drinking Game, One Sip at a Time”—Oct 10, 2023.

about kathryn kulpa

Kathryn Kulpa was a winner of the Vella Chapbook Contest for her flash fiction chapbook Girls on Film. She is a librarian and a flash editor at Cleaver magazine and also leads writing workshops. Her stories are published in Five South, Monkeybicycle, Smokelong Quarterly, Pithead Chapel, Women’s Studies Quarterly, and Wigleaf. Her work has been chosen for Best Microfiction and the Wigleaf longlist and nominated for Best Small Fictions, Best of the Web, and the Pushcart Prize. Find her at kathrynkulpa.com /@KathrynKulpa.

about david buckner

David's first artistic breakthrough involved learning the alphabet with his mother. She used to teach him the ABCs and he would write them by drawing the letters into shapes of monsters and creepy creatures. Flash forward years later, he received his bachelor's degree in visual arts from West Virginia University. Flash forward a little bit more and he received a degree in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design. His first children's book titled Even Scary Things Get the Blues, contains 25 illustrated children's poems guaranteed to tickle or scare your funny bone. David currently resides in wonderful and sometimes spooky Rhode Island. Learn more at http://www.davidbuckner.net.

About the Warren Walkabout

Spend a fall Sunday exploring the historic waterfront town of Warren, Rhode Island, at this year's annual Warren Walkabout—a street-style festival that runs four consecutive Sundays on October 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 12 to 5 PM with each week celebrating a different theme.

Residents and visitors are welcome to enjoy all that Warren has to offer, from unique independent shops and boutiques featuring sidewalk sales, to cafes and eateries with food pop-ups, along with live music performances around town, and open artist studios featuring workshops with live demonstrations. On each Sunday afternoon from Main Street to Water Street and beyond, explore the unique local architecture, waterfront views, and the cozy charm of autumn’s colors while supporting local businesses and the community.

Hosted by Discover Warren, this family-friendly street-style festival began over sixteen years ago to support the growth of the downtown arts district.

Whichever transportation you choose—car, bike, bus or boat—there’s plenty of parking and pedestrian access, along with a free trolley that will be available on Oct 22 and 29, courtesy of Navigant Credit Union. For more information visit discoverwarren.com or email info@discoverwarren.com.

Sponsors of the Warren Walkabout include Discover Warren, Jay Barry Cultural Arts Center, Discover Newport, Town of Warren, Navigant Credit Union, and East Bay Printing.

Amanda Quay blount – MEET ME AT THE BILTMORE – Warren Walkabout Book Signing on Oct 22 from 1 to 3 PM

Local author Amanda Quay Blount will sign copies and chat with readers about 100 Years at Providence’s Most Storied Hotel during the annual Warren Walkabout festival and Ink Fish Books Five Year Anniversary Celebration. 

The independent, women-owned bookstore Ink Fish Books is celebrating its five year anniversary with book giveaways, a pop-up art show featuring handmade art and gifts by Talidactyl, a book signing with local author Amanda Quay Blount of Meet Me at the Biltmore—and of course, cake! Join us during the Warren Walkabout on October 22 during the hours of 1-3 PM to meet the author, artists, and celebrate.

On June 6, 1922, thousands of people gathered in downtown Providence to witness the grand opening of the most modern hotel of its day: the awe-inspiring Providence Biltmore Hotel. Since that fateful day, the Biltmore has captured the imaginations of local patrons and distant travelers alike, providing luxury accommodation to such celebrities as Babe Ruth, John F. Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, Louis Armstrong, the Von Trapp Family, Maya Angelou, the Rolling Stones, and Providence’s infamous mayor, Buddy Cianci. The story of the Biltmore is a sensational drama of scandal, secrets and high society. With characters ranging from crooked politicians and mobsters to bootleggers and Hollywood stars, the Biltmore has provided the backdrop for some of the highest highs and lowest lows of Providence in the last century. Now, for the first time in its hundred-year history, the storied past of the Providence Biltmore Hotel comes to life in this meticulously researched tale of the rise, fall, and renaissance of Rhode Island’s capital city, as seen through the eyes of one of its most iconic landmarks.

Amanda Quay Blount is a New Jersey native but lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, daughter, their pet rabbit, Arthur, and the family dog, Rye. When she isn’t researching and writing historical fiction and nonfiction, Amanda runs a nonprofit organization and is a strategic planning consultant. She has traveled extensively around the world, collecting stories along the way. Amanda believes that it is a profound privilege to be able to tell other people’s stories through her writing, and is grateful for the opportunity to share some of these with the world. Meet Me at the Biltmore is her first book.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase Meet Me at the Biltmore online here.

About talidactyl

From 1 to 3 PM we will be joined by a pop-up art show featuring Rhode Island-based Talidactyl—an artist daughter/seamstress mother team that designs and hand makes everything from tote bags to wall art to cat toys. Most designs are nerdy or natural, and always just a little bit weird.

About the Warren Walkabout

Spend a fall Sunday exploring the historic waterfront town of Warren, Rhode Island, at this year's annual Warren Walkabout—a street-style festival that runs four consecutive Sundays on October 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 12 to 5 PM with each week celebrating a different theme.

Residents and visitors are welcome to enjoy all that Warren has to offer, from unique independent shops and boutiques featuring sidewalk sales, to cafes and eateries with food pop-ups, along with live music performances around town, and open artist studios featuring workshops with live demonstrations. On each Sunday afternoon from Main Street to Water Street and beyond, explore the unique local architecture, waterfront views, and the cozy charm of autumn’s colors while supporting local businesses and the community.

Hosted by Discover Warren, this family-friendly street-style festival began over sixteen years ago to support the growth of the downtown arts district.

Whichever transportation you choose—car, bike, bus or boat—there’s plenty of parking and pedestrian access, along with a free trolley that will be available on Oct 22 and 29, courtesy of Navigant Credit Union. For more information visit discoverwarren.com or email info@discoverwarren.com.

Sponsors of the Warren Walkabout include Discover Warren, Jay Barry Cultural Arts Center, Discover Newport, Town of Warren, Navigant Credit Union, and East Bay Printing.

Robert Curley – 100 THINGS TO DO IN RHODE ISLAND BEFORE YOU DIE – Warren Walkabout Book Signing on Oct 15 from 1 to 3 PM

Travel writer Robert Curley will sign copies and chat about his books that feature the wonders of the Ocean State during the annual Warren Walkabout festival. 

From sunrise in the shadow of the Beavertail lighthouse to sunset on the deck of the Coast Guard House, 100 Things to Do in Rhode Island Before You Die will fill your days with experiences of a lifetime in the Ocean State. Fuel up for adventure with “only in Rhode Island” treats like Del’s lemonade, coffee “cabinets,” and New York System Wieners, then set course for a 12-meter yacht sail on Narragansett Bay, a day trip to Block Island to collect glass orbs and scale the Mohegan Bluffs, and a walk on the wild side of historic Newport’s Cliff Walk.

You’ll meet polo ponies, harbor seals, and some leafy green animals by day, and fill your nights with the sounds of live music at the Ocean Mist beach bar and the Rhythm and Roots festival and take in the sights (and smells) of Providence’s Waterfire.

Author Robert Curley has always lived within hailing distance of the sea, moving from his native Long Island to Rhode Island more than two decades ago and quickly falling in love with the quirky character and rich history of his adopted home. His carefully curated attractions and itineraries are your personal “Rhode Trip” for creating big memories in the littlest state.

Robert Curley is a freelance writer based in Rhode Island who writes about travel, food, culture, and health and wellness for publications including USA Today, AAA, AFAR, Caribbean Journal, Rhode Island Monthly, Newport Life, New England Home, Recommend, and Healthline. He is a contributing writer to travel guidebooks from Fodor's and Lonely Planet and the author of 100 Things to Do in Rhode Island Before You Die, Rhode Island Off the Beaten Path, 100 Things to Do in the Caribbean Before You Die, and the forthcoming Secret Rhode Island in November 2023.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

And . . . Bootstrap Compost, a residential and commercial food scrap pick-up service will offer a pop-up talk from 1 to 3 PM to share how to make a difference through composting.

About the Warren Walkabout

Spend a fall Sunday exploring the historic waterfront town of Warren, Rhode Island, at this year's annual Warren Walkabout—a street-style festival that runs four consecutive Sundays on October 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 12 to 5 PM with each week celebrating a different theme.

Residents and visitors are welcome to enjoy all that Warren has to offer, from unique independent shops and boutiques featuring sidewalk sales, to cafes and eateries with food pop-ups, along with live music performances around town, and open artist studios featuring workshops with live demonstrations. On each Sunday afternoon from Main Street to Water Street and beyond, explore the unique local architecture, waterfront views, and the cozy charm of autumn’s colors while supporting local businesses and the community.

Hosted by Discover Warren, this family-friendly street-style festival began over sixteen years ago to support the growth of the downtown arts district.

Whichever transportation you choose—car, bike, bus or boat—there’s plenty of parking and pedestrian access, along with a free trolley that will be available on Oct 22 and 29, courtesy of Navigant Credit Union. For more information visit discoverwarren.com or email info@discoverwarren.com.

Sponsors of the Warren Walkabout include Discover Warren, Jay Barry Cultural Arts Center, Discover Newport, Town of Warren, Navigant Credit Union, and East Bay Printing.

John Kostrzewa — WALKING RHODE ISLAND — Author Talk & Signing on Oct 10 at 6:30 PM

Ink Fish Books is proud to be a partner bookstore for this free community event with Barrington Land Conservation Trust

The event features John Kostrzewa, author of the new book Walking Rhode Island: 40 Hikes for Nature and History Lovers with Pictures, GPS Coordinates, and Trail Maps.

The book has drawn praise from environmental and historical leaders in Rhode Island.

“Along with being gracefully written and packed with precise details, John Kostrzewa’s hiking columns are an antidote to our high-speed, screen-centered lives. They not only guide you on some of the most beautiful trails in Rhode Island, but also give you a sense of history and what you are seeing along the way,” said Terry Gray, director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

John Kostrzewa worked for twenty-nine years at The Providence Journal and has been hiking across Rhode Island for decades. He retired from the Journal in 2017 and taught at Bryant University for three years. In 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched “Walking Rhode Island,” a hiking column posted online and published in the Sunday Providence Journal. He has since written about more than 100 trails. Kostrzewa resides in Cranston, Rhode Island, with his wife Carol.

REGISTER for this event with Barrington Land Conservation Trust, and join us at Barrington Public Library, 281 County Road in Barrington.

Books will be available to purchase from Ink Fish Books at the event or in store.

Vanessa Lillie – BLOOD SISTERS – with Megan Collins – THICKER THAN WATER – Warren Walkabout Book Signing on Oct 8 from 1 to 3 PM

Local best-selling author Vanessa Lillie will sign copies of her thriller novels Little Voices and For the Best.

Ink Fish Books will launch Lillie’s newest book, Blood Sisters, for the 2023 Rhody Reader Box.

She will be joined by best-selling suspense author Megan Collins.

Vanessa Lillie is the bestselling author of the thrillers Little Voices, For the Best and coauthor of the Young Rich Widows series. Her forthcoming novel, Blood Sisters, launches a new suspense series and releases October 31, 2023.

Megan Collins is the author of Thicker Than Water, The Family Plot, Behind the Red Door, and The Winter Sister (Atria/Simon & Schuster). She received her B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and she holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Boston University, where she was a teaching fellow. She has taught creative writing at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Central Connecticut State University, and she is Managing Editor of 3Elements Review. A Pushcart Prize and two-time Best of the Net nominee, her work has appeared in many print and online journals, including Compose, Linebreak, Off the Coast, Spillway, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and Rattle. She lives in Connecticut.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

Or purchase online below.

Preorder BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie

FOR THE BEST by Vanessa Lillie

LITTLE VOICES by Vanessa Lillie

THICKER THAN WATER by Megan Collins

THE FAMILY PLOT by Megan Collins

BEHIND THE RED DOOR by Megan Collins

THE WINTER SISTER by Megan Collins

About the Warren Walkabout

Spend a fall Sunday exploring the historic waterfront town of Warren, Rhode Island, at this year's annual Warren Walkabout—a street-style festival that runs four consecutive Sundays on October 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 12 to 5 PM with each week celebrating a different theme.

Residents and visitors are welcome to enjoy all that Warren has to offer, from unique independent shops and boutiques featuring sidewalk sales, to cafes and eateries with food pop-ups, along with live music performances around town, and open artist studios featuring workshops with live demonstrations. On each Sunday afternoon from Main Street to Water Street and beyond, explore the unique local architecture, waterfront views, and the cozy charm of autumn’s colors while supporting local businesses and the community.

Hosted by Discover Warren, this family-friendly street-style festival began over sixteen years ago to support the growth of the downtown arts district.

Whichever transportation you choose—car, bike, bus or boat—there’s plenty of parking and pedestrian access, along with a free trolley that will be available on Oct 22 and 29, courtesy of Navigant Credit Union. For more information visit discoverwarren.com or email info@discoverwarren.com.

Sponsors of the Warren Walkabout include Discover Warren, Jay Barry Cultural Arts Center, Discover Newport, Town of Warren, Navigant Credit Union, and East Bay Printing.

Geraldine Brooks — HORSE — Author Reading & Signing on Sep 29 at 1 PM

Ink Fish Books is proud to be a partner bookstore for this free community event with Rogers Free Library

The event features Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, and her latest novel Horse.

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history. 

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse--one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.

Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.

Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an author and journalist who grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, attending Bethlehem College Ashfield and the University of Sydney. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Her novels People of the Book, Caleb’s Crossing, and The Secret Chord all were New York Times Bestsellers. Her first novel, Year of Wonders is an international bestseller, translated into more than twenty-five languages, and currently optioned for a limited series by Olivia Coleman’s production company. She is also the author of the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire, Foreign Correspondence, and The Idea of Home.

REGISTER for this event with Rogers Free Library, and join us in the Herreshoff Community Room at 525 Hope Street in Bristol. 

Books will be available to purchase from Ink Fish Books at the event, in store, or online here.

Come Visit Us at RI Vegtoberfest on Sep 23 from 11 am to 6 pm

A curated selection of plant-based cookbooks and lifestyle inspirations will be for sale at our vendor booth. Come and say, “hi!” We’d love to hear what vegan foods you are cooking and eating right now.

PURCHASE TICKETS for this event with RI VegFest, and join us at Trinity Beer Garden in Providence.

Rebekah Bergman — The MUSEUM OF HUMAN HISTORY — in Conversation with Annie Hartnett on Sep 7 at 6 p.m.

Rebekah Bergman will talk about her acclaimed debut novel, The Museum of Human History, with author Annie Hartnett (Unlikely Animals).

After nearly drowning, eight-year-old Maeve Wilhelm falls into a strange comatose state. As years pass, it becomes clear that Maeve is not physically aging. A wide cast of characters finds themselves pulled toward Maeve, each believing that her mysterious “sleep” holds the answers to their life’s most pressing questions: Kevin Marks, a museum owner obsessed with preservation; Monique Gray, a refugee and performance artist; Lionel Wilhelm, an entomologist who dreamed of being an astrophysicist; and Evangeline Wilhelm, Maeve’s identical twin. As Maeve remains asleep, the characters grapple with a mysterious new technology and medical advances that promise to ease anxiety and end pain, but instead cause devastating side effects.

Weaving together speculative elements and classic fables, and exploring urgent issues from the opioid epidemic to the hazards of biotech to the obsession with self-improvement and remaining forever young, Rebekah Bergman’s The Museum of Human History is a brilliant and fascinating novel about how time shapes us, asking what—if anything—we would be without it.

With melancholy imagination, Bergman elegantly tackles nothing less than the entire arc of human history. . . .  the novel blends fairy tale, philosophy, and shades of literary-futurist classics like Never Let Me Go.
 —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

A startlingly assured debut. . . . Similar to Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad. . . . a tightly constructed, wonderfully written, utterly original, and astoundingly good novel.
—Booklist, Starred Review

Rebekah Bergman’s The Museum of Human History is one of the most agile novels I have read in a long time. It reads like a documentary retold as a dream retold as a mystery novel. What a wise, good-hearted debut!
—Kate Bernheimer, author of Fairy Tale Architecture

Rebekah Bergman is a fiction writer living in Rhode Island. Her debut novel, The Museum of Human History, was published by Tin House Books in August 2023. Rebekah received a BA in literary arts from Brown University and an MFA in fiction from The New School. Her short stories have been published in Tin House Online, Joyland, and other journals. She is a contributing editor of NOON. Rebekah was a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and a winner of The Masters Review Anthology Prize, judged by Rebecca Makkai. She has earned fellowships, grants, and residencies from Art Farm, Brown University, and Tent Creative Writing and was selected for Wigleaf’s Top 50 (2019) and nominated for a 2020 Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

Annie Hartnett is the author of novels Rabbit Cake (Tin House Books, 2017) and Unlikely Animals (Ballantine/Random House, 2022). Unlikely Animals was listed as one of the best books of 2022 by the Washington Post and BookRiot, the winner of the Julia Ward Howe award, and longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Rabbit Cake was listed as one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2017, was a finalist for the New England Book Award, and was long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. Annie has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. She holds degrees from the MFA program at the University of Alabama, Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English, and Hamilton College. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Books will be available for purchase at the event and in store.

To purchase online see the links below.

The Museum of Human History

Unlikely Animals and Rabbit Cake

Story Time & Book Signing with Mary Wagley Copp — YOSHI'S BIG SWIM — July 29 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Ink Fish Books welcomes author Mary Wagley Copp for a story time and book signing of the picture book, Yoshi’s Big Swim: One Turtle’s Epic Journey Home.

The story time begins at 1 p.m., followed a brief presentation about loggerheads, and then a meet and greet with the author.

About the Book

Yoshi’s Big Swim chronicles the impressive true story of Yoshi, a loggerhead turtle who was rescued by fishermen, then rehabilitated and cared for by scientists for many years. The scientists adored her, and Yoshi was happy in her aquarium home. But then, many years later, Yoshi let them know that it was time for her to move on. Would Yoshi be safe? Would she know what to do? After lots of preparation—and plenty of friendly back scratches for Yoshi—the determined loggerhead set off on her journey.

By Mary Wagley Copp, and illustrated by Kaja Kajfež.

About the Author

Just like Yoshi, Mary Wagley Copp loves to travel. She has taught in Ecuador, organized health fairs in Appalachia, and traveled to Ethiopia to produce a documentary film. Although not nearly as impressive as Yoshi, Mary also loves open water swimming—a joy that reaffirms her commitment to clean and healthy waters for all who love and inhabit the oceans. In addition to writing for children, Mary teaches English to newcomers in her area. She lives in Westport, Massachusetts, with her husband, Allyn, their pup, Rosa, and a lot of chickens! They have three grown children.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, and in store.

Author Talk & Signing with Lisa Campion — Awakening Your Psychic Ability — June 15 at 6 p.m.

From Reiki master Lisa Campion—author of The Art of Psychic Reiki and Energy Healing for Empaths—comes her latest book Awakening Your Psychic Ability: A Practical Guide to Develop Your Intuition, Demystify the Spiritual World, and Open Your Psychic Senses. This transformative and practical guide will help you understand, develop, and harness your own psychic ability, so you can live your life with a greater sense of meaning and purpose. 

On Thursday, June 15 at 6 p.m., Campion will share insights from the book that can begin to deepen your intuition and open your psychic senses, along with answering reader questions and signing copies. 

Books will be available for purchase at the event, and in store.

About the Author

LISA CAMPION is a psychic counselor and Reiki master teacher with more than twenty-five years of experience. She has trained more than one thousand practitioners in the hands-on, energy-healing practice of Reiki, including medical professionals; and has conducted more than fifteen thousand individual sessions in her career. Campion is author of several books, including The Art of Psychic Reiki. Based near Providence, RI, she specializes in training emerging psychics, empaths, and healers so they can fully step into their gifts—the world needs all the healers it can get!